Conventional Keno is a well known game. There are eighty numbers in a pool—typically eighty keno balls numbered 1 through 80 and maintained in an air blower device that circulates the Keno balls. Twenty of the eighty Keno balls are selected each round of game play.
Each player has a Keno ticket that is an 8×10 matrix with the eighty numbers printed thereon. Each player marks their ticket with between one and fifteen of the eighty numbers that the player thinks will be drawn during the game. The player also makes an appropriate wager. Depending on the number of matches between the twenty numbers drawn and the numbers selected and marked by the player on their play card, the player wins or loses. The more matching numbers there are the higher the payoff to the player.
In electronic Keno, a single player plays against a computer controlled video gaming machine for each round of game play and the player either wins or loses each round. No other players are involved. At the beginning of game play the player selects between one and ten numbers and wagers one or more coins, tokens or credits. The computer of the video gaming machine randomly selects twenty numbers from a pool of eighty numbers and then compares the twenty numbers to the player selected numbers to determine if the player has achieved a winning payout for the round of game play. The player selections are made by using a light pen, pressing numbered buttons on a selection panel, or by touching numbers displayed on-screen using conventional video touch screen technology.
In the typical video Keno format, the player may select between one and ten numbers to attempt to match the randomly selected numbers. When the player presses a “Start” button, the computer of the video gaming machine randomly selects twenty numbers from the total pool of eighty numbers. Just as in live Keno, the player has winnings based on how many of their selected numbers match the randomly selected twenty numbers. The player's winnings are greater as there are more matches. If the player matches less than a predetermined minimum number of selected numbers, the player loses.
Keno games, alike other wagering games are more successful, when players are provided with a sense of participation and control, the opportunity to make decisions, reasonable odds of winning, and what the players perceive is an improved chance to beat the odds that are normally in favor of a casino or game owner.
Over time gaming patrons become bored with standard versions of games, including Keno, and game owners are continually looking for new variations of the games to create renewed interest and to attract more players to play the games.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a new Keno game which is similar to conventional Keno games but which provides for greater player interaction with the game, and which would appear to provide additional opportunities for winning. Such a new Keno game would stimulate renewed interest of experienced players, and the interest of casual players, who will experience new excitement with the new interactive Keno game.